A series of mesoporous Co-CeO2 catalysts with different Co contents were prepared with a colloidal solution combustion method and used for the reverse water-gas shift reaction. Characterizations demonstrate that the Co-CeO2 catalysts have uniform mesoporous structures, high specific surface areas and pore volumes. The spherical pore wall is formed by intimately connected small CeO2 and Co3O4 nanoparticles, and such structure results in the strong interaction between Co3O4 and CeO2. The catalytic results show that the mesoporous 5% Co-CeO2 catalyst possesses high activity and selectivity in reverse water-gas shift reaction, and shows a good stability during 10h at 600 degrees C. The excellent performance of the mesoporous 5% Co-CeO2 catalyst should be owing to the small Co particles intimately interacted with CeO2 in the pore walls.